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Ride to end polio

Rotary International General Secretary John Hewko and his wife, Marga, are training to take part in the El Tour de Tucson to raise money for PolioPlus. Rotary Images/Monika Lozinska

By Rotary International General Secretary John Hewko

For more than 20 years, Rotarians and their friends have worked tirelessly to keep our promise to the world’s children to eradicate polio. We’re almost there, but as in any race, the last mile is the hardest.

On 17 November — to honor those who strive to reach the historic goal of eradicating a human disease for only the second time in history — my wife, Marga, and I will join Rotarians in the Tucson, Arizona, area to raise money for Rotary’s PolioPlus Program at El Tour de Tucson. It’s one of the top U.S. cycling events, and it attracts more than 9,000 cyclists a year.

For the ride, Marga and I intend to raise US$111,000. That’s $1,000 for every mile in the 111-mile course, the longest of the four main events.

We need your help to reach our goal. Rotarians can contribute to my ride by logging on to Member Access, which will give you the option to contribute to GS Hewko – Ride to End Polio. You will receive full recognition points for your contribution, which may be made in any amount. For friends of Rotary, you also can help through my Crowdrise page.

Cycling is one of my passions, and it will be especially rewarding for me to be doing something I so enjoy in support of a goal all of us in Rotary are so committed to: a polio-free world. You can follow my fundraising and training progress on my Facebook and Twitter pages.

As a member of the D5500 Ride to End Polio Committee (and as a rider in the 111-mile event), I can say we in D5500 are excited about your upcoming visit.

As you know, our goal is 200 riders and $200,000 for polio. So far, riders in at least seven states (and Brazil) are working toward that goal.

We are “this close” to achieving Rotary’s top priority goal of polio eradication; with your help and the help of Rotarians around the world, we can successfully eradicate polio and make children everywhere safe from this terrible disease.